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Food, Fun & Being A Housewife

Not in the sense that I don’t teach art anymore although I would love to stay home and take care of Max. I didn’t give myself that title. Muscle & Fitness Hers did. A “Fit Housewife of New England” to be exact 😛 In the 2014 January/February issue of Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine, you can find my mug staring back at yours! This is what the issue’s cover looks like:

I don’t look like that but somehow made it into the pages of this issue.

I debated whether or not I would blog about this. After lots of thought, I chose to post it. I don’t want to come across as the “Oh hey look at me!” kind of girl, because that’s not who I think I am. Because I am just a regular person that got an unusual opportunity and I want to share the experience.

Exercise has always been a part of my life. As a kid I took 11 years of ballet, jazz, tap, & acrobatic lessons. I was a competitive cheerleader from 7th-12th grade. Our team competed on the national level in Disney. Then I started going to the gym to work out. I’ve dabbled in kickboxing, spinning and love practicing yoga. I love to hike & ski. I guess you can say I live an active lifestyle. I genuinely believe that exercise keeps you young. It makes me feel more alive; the fact that it also aids in fitness is a bonus. It’s part of what makes me happy. Living life passionately is who I am and what the essence of this blog is about (read the “about page” here). My life goal is to become as well rounded as possible. Goofy (5 weeks preggo) ski pic:

If you have read Finding Silver Linings before, then you also know how much I love food. I love to cook, but I loooove to eat. I don’t eat, I dine. Eating is a sensory experience for me. I enjoy the smells, flavors, texture, basically everything about food. I know that healthy foods can also taste great. I do love to splurge. My splurges are in moderation. I eat healthy about 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time I can be found eating Nutella, pasta, cookies, or a spicy margarita. That’s the healthy balance that I have found for myself. But if there is a Milk Bar cake baking class in 90 degree heat, best believe I’m sippin a cold one. When in Brooklyn right?

When I became pregnant with Max, I wondered how my body would handle it. I gained 38 pounds (3 lbs over my doctor’s recommendation). I was okay with that, especially since I gained about 5 pounds of water retention the last week. I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy. I went on a ski trip to Utah at 5-6 weeks preggo (dr said it was okay) and felt fantastic! (click here for that trip’s recap), took prenatal yoga, and I even took an hour long hike the day I went into labor (click here for our birth story). It’s crazy to see your body change so drastically in such a relatively short period of time. I set a goal for myself at one point during my pregnancy to be in pre-baby shape a year from delivery day. Between post baby hormones and the physical state of my body in the first few months after Max, my goal seemed so far out of reach. I found myself to be very insecure about the way my body looked and comparing myself to other women. One day I took a step back and looked at my belly pictures and at my beautiful son. I realized all that my body has given me and has been through. I gained a new respect for myself and decided to make a conscious effort to stop comparing myself to others. Everyone is on their own path. It sounds so simple but it is a daily struggle. I think it’s especially hard for women since historically, women are noticed for their physical appearance. I began really focusing on SMALL goals. “Today I will eat non-processed food and take the stairs at work.” or “Today I will go for a hike and enjoy nature” in stead of “I wish I had her legs” and “I hate the way my arms jiggle”.

So when I was asked to be in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine I almost passed out. It was an unspoken pipe dream to be in a fitness magazine for being in shape. I was in Oxygen Fitness magazine twice for healthy recipes but never for fitness. (Click here and here for those healthy recipes).

The photo shoot was going to take place exactly one year to the day that I went into labor with Max! I didn’t “diet” for a year. I resumed my usual healthy eating and gym routine.

Here is me at 38 weeks pregnant (I went into labor at 38.5 weeks)

Here’s me 8 months before and 8 months after baby.

Here is me the week of the shoot:

Sorry for the just woke up face and grainy iPhone shot lol!

The two weeks leading up to the shoot I ate healthy 100% without any splurges and really watched my salt intake. The camera adds 10 pounds and I did not want to bloat from sodium. The day of the shoot I was a nervous wreck. I met some amazing women including Mona Mureson, the magazine editor-in-chief, and Brandy Gomez-Dupleisis, celebrity makeup artist. They really made me feel comfortable. I was the only non competitor taking photos so I was super freaked out and it was obvious. I arrived to the gym first so I was first in line for hair & makeup. Here’s a shot I snapped during the glam fun! I’m a makeup girl so this was the best part of it all for me!

Brandy (the makeup artist) posted her experience and lots of behind the scenes shots (including my deer in headlights “before” pics) on this shoot on her personal blog. Click here to check it out. She was really amazing. I learned so many tips and tricks from her. I’ll share some in an upcoming beauty post. She is so down to earth yet has worked on A list clientele.

There was a crew of about 30 people watching and working on the shoot. I am the girl that takes awkward selfies, nevermind an entire camera crew. I don’t know what to do with my hands in photos. I was so consumed with getting in shape for this that I didn’t even think about taking the actual picture. The photographer and photo editor helped to guide me along in posing. I never realized how much work it was just to get one shot. I’m sure it was extra work for me as a non-model. At one point they asked me to jump in the air, then run across the backdrop and be in a specific pose at the “click spot” (a little “x” of tape on the floor). That’s the shot they liked best. They said it was high energy.

Here’s what is looks like:

Here’s my interview:

(For some reason my maiden name (misspelled) was published by accident 🙁 )

This was a very humbling experience in so many ways. I guess the reason for this post is to say that if you set a goal for yourself you can do things you would never imagine possible.

*Have a healthy living success story you’d like to see featured on this blog? Email submissions to FindingSilverLinings@gmail.com